NATIONAL SUNFLOWER ASSOCIATION

Sunflower acreage this year in North Dakota, the nation’s dominant producer of the crop, is projected to sink to its second-lowest rate since 1976. But the executive director of the National Sunflower Association says there’s reason to be optimistic about his crop’s future, both in and outside the state.

Sunflower crops could set records in the nation's top two producing states this year, helping to blunt a drop in nationwide production and ensure a healthy supply for processors in the United States and Canada.

The federal government is expanding an insurance program for sunflower farmers — two years after almost killing it — in a move that could help protect growers against fluctuating prices and low crop yields.